


The Village Hidden in the Night

by KyimBlack



Category: Naruto
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyimBlack/pseuds/KyimBlack
Summary: Shay is the youngest of her clan. She will be Nighkage one day. She knows what has to do; what she has to be come. One night. One single night. That's all it takes for her whole life to fall apart....
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

My village was mostly quiet. There were the odd raids, but we always managed to drive out whoever tried to hurt us.

An old lady from down the road once told me that we got raided a lot because the other lands and villages were jealous of us. I never understood what she meant. Why would they be jealous of us?

My great-grandmother built a school and my great-grandfather turned it into a military combatants school. Three generations before that, my family had founded the village after being driven out of their homeland. They had discovered my family had a jutsu that couldn't be learnt. Rather, you had to be born with it.

I never found out where this homeland was.

\---------------

I was wandering out near a small forest. The wildlife here didn't bother running away from me. I was harmless in their eyes. A small child. No threat.

I looked around and smiled. I wouldn't be a harmless child after tonight. Tonight I was going to be initiated. Tonight I was going to get my 'eyes'.

"Shay!"

"Huh?" I turned and saw Ito waving at me. "Oh, hey Ito."

"Your mother's looking for you. She wants you to start getting ready." He stood in front of me with his arms crossed. He had shoulder length dark brown hair and light amber coloured eyes.

"Aw, but I was watching the birds!"

He shook his head, but smiled. "You can do that tomorrow! Come on!"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards the village.

We ran through the gates, bats hanging on the trees that made up the archway entry to our village. They barely twitched as we ran under them. The village itself was built in and around a thick forested area. Right at the back of the village was a large mountain that served many purposes. Shelter from the weather, shade from the sun. The cave under the mountain had a lot of tunnels, caverns and acted as storage for food, a sanctuary and the tunnels had routes that lead out of the village in case we needed to escape. There was one cavern off to the side that only my family were allowed to enter. That was our ritual chamber. The chamber where I was to go tonight.

We past the Genin trainees, waving as we went. The older kids waved back, amused by us.

A shuriken flew towards my head and I deflected it with my kunai.

"Nice try, Zakaza!" I shouted over my shoulder at the older boy who threw it.

"I'll get you, Shay!"

I laughed and kept running. Zakaza was supposed to be really good, but I had proven that I had the potential to be better. Zakaza hated that idea.

Ito and I ran to the cave in the mountain, right at the back of our village.

"There you are, Shay!" My mother, Chikusa, had her hands on her hips. She was a pretty woman with long black hair and dark eyes. "Thank-you, Ito. I appreciate you finding her."

Ito beamed at my mothers praise, while I pouted beside him.

"Chika! Is that Shay? It's nearly time!" My father, Arai, a tall built man, with thick shoulder length black hair and clear blue eyes, came around a stone corner, holding a black robe with tiny silver stars. "Thank-you, Ito. Now go wait outside until the end."

I looked at my father, eyes wide. "Why can't Ito come?"

Ito nudged me. "It's ok. I'll just be outside."

I watched him walk outside, but it didn't make me feel any better.

"Come on, Shay. You want the eyes, don't you?"

I looked up at my parents and nodded.

"Well, come and put the robe on. It'll be dark soon and the moon will raise earlier."

I took my mothers hand and we followed my father to the ritual chamber. It was a large cavern, with a stone pillar in the middle with chains attached. The ground beneath it had a ritual carving I'd never seen before that night. My mother helped me change into my robe as my father went and organised the rest of my family in a circle around the pillar.

"Mother?"

"Hm?"

I stared at the pillar with the chains. "Is it going to hurt?"

She tied the robe around my neck and followed my gaze. "A little, dear. But don't worry. It won't kill you."

She picked me up and carried me over to the pillar. She set me down and helped my father chain me up. Mother then went and stood at her place in the circle.

My father put his hand on my shoulder. "Make sure you fight everything you see." Then he went to the alter I only just noticed a few feet in front of me.

He started speaking in a language I didn't recognize and I looked up. There was a hole in the ceiling. I'd be able to see the moon once it was high enough.

A few minutes later, the moon peeked through the hole in the ceiling. My feet started to tingle and I looked down, shifting my feet. The tingling moved up my legs and into my torso and arms. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Finally, the tingling went up my neck into my head and behind my eyes. I started to blink rapidly as my vision blurred. That's when the pain started. It was like being stabbed with a thousand needles all over my body. The worst pain was in my eyes. My eyes felt so hot, I thought they would melt out of my skull. My ears felt like they were on fire, so I couldn't hear myself screaming.

Suddenly, the pain lessened and my vision cleared. I blinked and shook my head, looking around.

Everyone in the circle, as well as my father at the alter, seemed frozen in place. I turned my head as far as I could, looking around. Nobody moved or spoke.

"Is it over? Mother? Father?"

I saw something move out the corner of my eye, and looked over. Smokey-mist looking shadows slowly started to rise up behind one of my uncles. I watched as this shadow slowly became a huge wolf. The wolf growled and snarled, its long fangs dripping with blood. I stared at this beast as it stomped its front paws a couple of times and slowly turned it's head from my uncle to me. It growled, shook it's massive head and sniffed at me as it stepped closer and closer. I pressed my back against the pillar and held my breath, eyes wide as the huge wolf stood right in front of me and pressed it's nose against my chin and stared into my eyes, growling and snarling.

My heart was pounding and I felt my blood rushing in my ears. Why was there a wolf here?

I widened my eyes. Wait a minute...

"You're not real."

The wolf stopped growling.

"You're. Not. Real."

The wolf hesitated then stepped back.

"I know you're not real. My uncle. He fears wolves because a wolf killed his family. He managed to kill it, but he's still afraid of wolf attacks."

The wolf tilted it's head. It stared at me for a few moments, then launched itself at me, snapping its jaws. I stared at it as it leapt at me. I didn't move or shift my eyes as it faded away as it hit me.

I breathed out, my heart stopped thumping and I looked around. I didn't feel afraid anymore. I heard a noise to my left and turned my head. A giant snake appeared the same way the wolf did. It slithered up to me and flickered it's tongue out at me. A giant spider and a giant rat appeared beside the snake and started to surround me.

"I'm not afraid of you." I told the snake, staring at it. "You are not real. You can't hurt me."

The snake flickered it's tongue again and curled itself around my legs. I widened my eyes as I felt it.

The rat nibbled at my chains and the spider bared it's fangs and bit my arm. I flinched, but I didn't scream. For some reason, I didn't feel afraid. I knew these weren't real. Just illusions. I was just seeing them.

I narrowed my eyes. "Jerks. That's not very nice." I strained against the chains. After a few minutes, they broke. I fell to the ground, tripping over the snake. The rat and the spider backed off, and the snake unwound itself from my legs. I stood up slowly and stared at them.

"You. Can't. Hurt. Me."

They all rushed at me, fangs bared. I stood my ground and narrowed my eyes. "I'm not afraid of you!" I shouted as they hit me. They dissipated as they got to me.

I looked around again. Everyone was still frozen. I went to step towards my father, but a scene slowly materialized in front of me. It was of my mother and father. They were just standing there. I watched a tree appeared behind them, with a dark figure standing on a branch. The figure then jumped down and cut down my parents. I gasped as blood splattered everywhere and the figures collapsed. Suddenly, I was surrounded by figures of the rest of the village. Off to the side was the part of the forest I was playing in earlier that day. In the trees were dark figures, dozens of them, watching and waiting for something.

I clenched my fists by my sides. This must be my fathers fear. Fear of other shinobi raiding our village, somehow being able to kill both him and my mother, then taking over.

I blinked and the dark figures leapt from the trees to the misty village figures, and started to brutally cut them down. I stood there, watching, staring. I wasn't afraid. I knew this was all an illusion, but I was upset and angry. I didn't want to see this. My friends, family, being killed, murdered in front of me.

My small fists started to shake. "No." I whispered. "This isn't real." I lifted my head to the hole in the ceiling and shouted. "Stop it, right now!"

The moon disappeared over the other side of the hole and all the illusions disappeared. I was breathing heavily and dropped to my knees as my family started to move again.

"Shay!" My mother ran over to me and helped me up. She stared at me for a moment, then looked to my father. "Arai..."

I frowned and looked up. "Mother?"

Mother looked at me as my father came to stand next to her. "What did you see, Shay?"

"Oh. Um, a wolf, a snake, a rat and a spider." I didn't want to mention my fathers fear. If everyone knew my fathers fear, they wouldn't respect him as much.

"Is that all?"

I frowned again. "Yes. Why is that?"

My father studied me for a moment. "You don't seem afraid. In fact, you seem...angry."

I blinked. "Oh. Sorry."

My father watched me for a few more moments, then spoke again. "You weren't afraid?"

I shook my head. "I was at the start, but I saw the wolf first, and I remember..." I looked at my uncle who had the wolf fear. "I knew it wasn't real, so I stopped being afraid. After that, I knew it was all not real and I faced them all."

My family all started muttering amongst themselves until my father put his hand up. "It seems you have been born with the 'recognition' trait."

"Recognition trait?"

"Yes. Once every generation, a child is born with the ability to recognize the fear and fight it more easily than the rest. This trait makes it easier to master the Mayonakagan. Of course, this also makes it all the more dangerous. If you fear nothing, you become cocky and being cocky can lead into self-destruction. If you can't harness your ability, you need to be extra careful."

"I-I'm not afraid of anything?"

"It seems that way, Shay." The way my mother said it, it sounded like I had been handed a death sentence.

I stared at my mother, but felt nothing but curiousness. If I had this fearlessness ability, what could I do with it?

My uncles, aunties and older cousins started to surround me and started to celebrate my initiation.

Some gave me advice, while others hugged me. Finally, my father pulled me up near the alter and faced me.

"Shay, you have successfully completed your initiation and have been granted the Mayonakagan." My father took my robe off and replaced it with a large black cloak, with the clans embroidered silver symbol on the left breast. "On this day, of your 3rd birthday, you not only have been blessed with the ability only granted to one per generation, you are now going to start training to become a shinobi." He showed me my headband with the lands symbol on it. The crescent moon and tiny star above it was to represent not just my family, but the whole village as well. My father then tied the band around my forehead. "Shay Kashishiri, youngest member of the Rimomeikashichiri clan, will start your training first thing tomorrow morning."

My father then grinned at me. "Alright, now go on and find Ito."

I grinned back and jumped down off the alter, running towards the entrance as everyone waved, chattering amongst themselves.

\--------------------

_4 Years Later_

"Shay! Shay?! Where are you now?"

I stood up high in a tree, hidden by the shadows, and put my hand over my mouth.

"You're going to be late for training! Just because you're a natural, doesn't mean you get to skip out!"

I watched as Ito walked around the forest floor, hands cupped over his mouth. "Damn it, Shay! Zakaza is waiting!"

I rolled my eyes and leapt down until I was standing behind Ito. He stopped walking, dropped his arms by his sides and sighed. "Zakaza is going to kill me..."

I sighed and Ito jumped, spinning around. "Fine, I'll go, but on one condition."

Ito growled and crossed his arms. "And what's that?"

I grinned. "That when we grow up, we get married."

He rolled his eyes. "You really need to stop that." He walked past me, I laughed and followed him.

"Oh, come on, Ito. It wouldn't be that bad. I'm not that bad."

He scoffed. "Yea. Right. Just because I'm to be your bodyguard once you become Nighkage, doesn't mean we have to get married."

I jumped in front of him and started walking backwards. "Oh, so you're ok with me marrying someone else, then?"

Ito's eye twitched. "It's not my issue who you end up marrying."

I sighed and fell into step beside him. I thought for a moment, then grinned. I side glanced at him. "What if it was Zakaza?"

Ito stopped, but I kept walking, smirking. He ran to catch up to me.

"I don't think Zakaza would too pleased to hear that idea."

I shrugged. "He's never pleased with me. Yet, he still insisted on being my team leader. Why do you think he's training me now? He doesn't want me to 'slow him down' once I become Genin." I lifted one hand and waved it, while making the sign for 'form'. Shadows twisted around my fingers and settled into my palm, the shape of a kunai. "He's been teaching me a few extra things, like this. He says it's so I'm ready to become Genin when he thinks I should, instead of waiting until I'm 10. He says it's also so I don't have to worry about carrying around weapons and losing them in battle." I waved my hand again and the kunai disappeared.

Ito nodded as we passed under the archway. "Well, maybe you were right."

I frowned. "Huh? About what?"

He grinned. "Maybe you will marry Zakaza."

I spun and aimed a kick at his head, but he dodged and ran towards the sparring arena, laughing.

I grinned and ran after him.

When we arrived at the arena, Zakaza was standing next to a table covered in papers, with his arms crossed. Zakaza was serious for a 17 year old. He was always training, trying to be the best shinobi of all of us. His shoulder length dark hair always seemed to be tied at the nape of his neck. His honey-coloured eyes always serious. I don't think I ever seen him laugh, let alone smile.

Zakaza looked up. "You're late."

"Sorry, Zakaza. Took me a while to fine her."

I stopped in front of the table and scratched the back of my neck. "Sorry, Zakaza."

"You need to be more responsible. Especially since you're going to be Nighkage." He looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You might be a child, but when you are with me, you are a trainee. I am not going to go easy on you."

I waved my hand. "Yea, yea. I already know that. Hey, I thought it was only going to be me and Ito today?" I pointed to the 3 other girls and 3 other boys that were practicing hand to hand combat in pairs.

Mae was paired with Naru, Remi with Tano and Inugami with Dokuro. A girl paired with a boy. Since Ito and I had arrived late, obviously we'd be paired together.

"I decided that it was time you two trained with others." Zakaza started to sift through the papers. "Your father decided, finally, that I was right to start training you early, and agreed for me to be your sensei when you become Genin."

I blinked. "He did? He actually agreed to that? Why?"

"So, I've also decided that I will have you train with six other students to see who you work well with."

I narrowed my eyes. He wasn't listening to me.

"And at the end of the week, I will decide on who my team will be once you all become Genin."

I frowned. "Wait, so that means..."

Zakaza looked me straight in the eyes. "Yes. You will not necessarily be with Ito."

Ito and I stared at Zakaza. "What?!"

He put his hand up. "Ito, you are 9, while Shay is 7. You cannot expect to be on the same team. You will be made a Genin next year, while Shay will still have two more years. As much you do work well together, you need to take that into account. Also, the team will be made up of three, aside from myself, so you will need to find one other person that you can rely on."

I shook my head. "I can't become a Genin without Ito!"

Ito nodded. "I'll just wait until Shay is old enough."

Zakaza shook his head. "No. You are to be her bodyguard, so you will need more training. Sorry, but those two extra years will help you become stronger." He sighed when he saw our faces. "I am going to be looking for two other people, under the assumption that Ito is going to become Genin next year. However, if for whatever reason, that doesn't happen..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but we understood well enough. Ito and I had been almost inseparable since I could remember. I was always going to become Nighkage, and his family had always been our second; right hand, advisors, best friends; almost to the point of family. There had even been a few times where his family had married into mine, and vise versa. If he wasn't on my team, I would feel lost.

I looked down at the papers. "What are these for?"

Zakaza looked at them. "These are information sheets on all of you. These ones here." He tapped a second pile of papers. "Are going to be what I observe over the next week. At the end of the week, I'll look over my notes and make a decision. Once that's done, the real training will begin, as a team. Then, in two years, you'll become Genin and start the real work." He looked up with his serious eyes. "I suggest you start now."

Ito and I looked at each other. We both knew neither of us could hold back. Zakaza was going to be my sensei whichever way we looked at it, but he was hardcore. He wouldn't let either of us slack off.

We looked at Zakaza and nodded. "Right."


	2. Chapter 2

That whole week, Ito and I tried to train with the other six boys and girls. It was difficult to see if we would work well together. Especially at the start.

"I can't believe Zakaza wants to be your sensei."

I rolled my eyes and flipped backwards as Mae threw a shadow shuriken at me. "Inugami, you sound surprised. And jealous. You know Zakaza is the best, and Shay needs to be as good as her parents. That's why he's doing it. It's not like he likes her."

I sighed. Inugami was definitely not someone that worked well with me. She was always bullying me and teasing me.

I leapt onto a high branch and looked down, watching as Mae and Inugami started to talk about Zakaza.

"Those two are hopeless..."

I nodded. "Even Remi is bad for it." I sighed again and turned to Tano. "Honestly, I think I would prefer you or Naru. At least then we'd be able to train properly."

Tano was hanging upside down on the branch above me. "Yea. Dokuro is hard to be around as well. He tries to be like Zakaza." He flipped down landing beside me. "He even did his hair like him."

I laughed. "Are you serious?"

Tano nodded. "Yup. And he tries to mimic his attitude as well, but he just comes across as plan nasty."

"Dokuro is nasty. He's basically the same as Inugami."

"Hey you two! Get down here! Zakaza wants us!" Naru waved his hand up at us and Tano and I watched as Remi, Ito and Dokuro appeared next to Mae and Inugami.

"You know, Ito being the oldest...It's likely you'll be with two new people, not him."

I watched Ito as Dokuro said something to him. Ito turned quickly and punched him in the stomach. "I'm trying not think about it."

Tano shrugged. "Come on. Let's go before Zakaza puts us down for punishment." He jumped down and I followed.

Zakaza stepped out from behind a tree and crossed his arms. We lined up and stood straight with our hands behind our back. He studied us with serious eyes before he spoke. "None of you have been taking this seriously."

All of us looked down and shifted our feet. It was only the third day, and we were already in trouble.

"You all need to realize how serious I am about this." Zakaza lowered his arms and stepped up to us. He stood in front of us, taking up the same pose we were. "Do any of you know how old I was when I became Genin?"

Remi shifted her feet and lifted her hand slightly. "Nine. You surpassed all the people in your age bracket and became Genin before they did."

Zakaza nodded. "That's right. And what age did I become Jounin? Do you know that?"

Remi didn't lift her eyes from the ground as she shook her head, dark purple hair falling over her bright green eyes. "No, sir."

Zakaza looked at us all one at a time. "I was 15. Two years ago. If any of you wish to be a part of my team, you need to stop playing around and take this seriously."

We all looked down again and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Zakaza was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "That's enough for now. Old Lady Isobe wants you all in the classroom for language studies."

I frowned. "I thought she had a class of one year olds today?"

Zakaza shook his head. "No. Iori took over the one year olds through to three year olds. They're wanting to teach hand signs as well as vocabulary now. Lady Isobe is going to be teaching strictly animal calls from now on."

"Sir?" Dokuro shot his hand up and I rolled my eyes. "When will we get our own animal companions?"

Zakaza side glanced Dokuro. "You'll have to take that up with Beast Master Takara. He's the one that usually decides on that. Now, all of you, get going. Don't make Lady Isobe wait." He leapt into the trees and disappeared.

We all let out a breath.

"Man, he's so tense, I can feel it from here!" Tano rolled his shoulders.

"Zakaza sensei is just stressed! He has a lot to do!"

Naru clipped Dokuro's ear. "Stop being such a suck up, Dokuro. He's not even your sensei. He's Shay's."

Dokuro growled. "Let's just go." He leapt up into the trees and disappeared towards the classroom. We all looked at each, shrugged and followed him.

\-----------

The classroom was a small hut, hidden high up in a large tree that grew between two large boulders in the side of the mountain. There were several classrooms scattered throughout our village, each with a different purpose and age bracket. What was now Lady Isobe's classroom, had been mine since the age of five.

We got to the base of the mountain and looked up. There was a secret entrance in the mountain that opened up near the classroom. All the classrooms had secret entrances in case of raiders. They were like safe-houses.

We leapt into the trees and onto a thick branch that was across from a narrow ledge. Ito leapt across first and pulled the bush to the side, exposing the entryway. Mae went first, then Inugami, Remi, Dokuro, Naru, Tano, then myself. The others went ahead, walking down the stone corridor towards the classroom, while I waited for Ito. He always liked to make sure that no one was around before he followed.

He slipped between the bush and the rock. "No followers."

I smiled and gently tugged a loose bang off his face. "There never is, Ito. Come on. If we're late, Lady Isobe will tell Zakaza."

We walked along the stone corridor until we got to a small opening. We jumped from the opening to the balcony of the classroom.

"It's about time you two arrived." Lady Isobe was sitting on a large red cushion up the front of the classroom. She was a tiny old lady with white hair tied into a bun at the back of her head. She had clear silver eyes that showed her intelligence.

We bowed and took our seats. We had low desks, with cushions as seats. "Sorry, Lady Isobe."

She nodded. "Hm. Now, what have we covered so far?"

"Um, wolves; I think we did a bit on moths." Remi fiddled with a pencil. "Rabbits, possums, raccoons, owls."

Dokuro shot his hand up. "We also did numbats and foxes."

Lady Isobe nodded. "Yes. I think you also covered koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, wombats, moles and loris, as well as a large list of insects. Today we will be going over bat signals."

A couple of the others groaned, but I had been looking forward to it. I had always been fascinated with the bats in the archway and had seriously considered getting one as a companion.

Lady Isobe raised her hand and everyone went quiet. "Right. Now, I have put a book in each of your desks solely on bats and how to communicate with them. I want you all to start reading it and have the basics memorized by the next lesson. If you can finish the book before then, I want you to practicing with the bats in the village. Beast Master Takara has also agreed for a couple of you to go up to the Perch to practice with the new pups." She looked directly at me as she said it.

We all took out the books, which turned out to be fairly thick, and started to read.

\-----------

After an hour, my eyes started to wonder from the book to the others in my class. Lady Isobe seemed to have fallen asleep as her chin was resting on her chest. If anyone got up, she'd flick out her cane and catch whoever it was in the leg though.

Remi was casually reading while writing down a few things that see thought was important, her bright green eyes unusually serious. Perhaps she planned on having a bat companion as well.

Mae was chewing her nails while studying one particular page with her fuschia eyes. She had tied her pale pink hair behind her head in a twist.

Inugami was leaning her chin on her hand, looking out the window. She always had her blonde hair tied up in a pony-tail. Her yellow eyes were unfocused as she stared at nothing in particular.

Dokuro and Naru both had their brown haired heads down. Naru's hair was a shade darker than Dokuro's and had dull grey eyes, while Naru had dark blue ones.

Tano had his head down on his crossed arms, drooling as he slept. He had the most unusual coloured hair of the lot of us. His multi-coloured red and orange hair made it difficult for him to do anything stealthy, so he had to either have a cowl covering his head or a strip of cloth covering his hair; but even with the cowl he had to be careful, because his torquise eyes sometimes shined out from the depths if any kind of bright light happened his way. Because of this, he had decided to train more in direct attacks.

I looked over to Ito, only to catch him staring at me with his amber eyes. "What?"

Inugami lazily looked over and sighed. "Just get it over with."

I frowned and looked at Ito. "Get what over with?"

Ito hesitated, then opened his mouth, but he was cut off by a screech.

We all looked over to the window as Lady Isobe and Tano woke up. A bat flew through the window, screeching.

Lady Isobe seemed to be listening, then waved her hand. The bat flapped its wings and flew back out the window. The sun was still out, but it would be dark within an hour.

The others looked at Lady Isobe, but she was watching me. I looked down at my book and scanned the column that described the screeches and tones.

I slowly raised my head. "Level 5 raid."

The others all gasped. Mae squealed, and Remi covered her face. Lady Isobe just nodded.

"Yes." She slowly started to stand. "That means they're going to want me down there. You all stay here. Especially you, Shay. They're not taking you. Not today. Ito, make sure she stays put."

Ito stood and nodded. "Yes, Lady Isobe."

Lady Isobe went out to the balcony, and glanced over her shoulder at us. "I mean it. Nobody leaves. Take out your books on raids and read that while I'm gone."

We all just nodded. I watched her as she leaned heavily on her cane. "Be careful!" I called to her. She nodded and leapt into the stone corridor, disappearing.

"What's a level 5 raid?"

Inugami narrowed her eyes at Naru. "How can you not know? Are you an idiot?"

Dokuro had taken out his book on raids and was flipping through it. "It says that a level 5 raid is when other ninja, bandits or otherwise, come to take people. This could be for any number of reasons, but level 5 generally means they take women and children. There have only been very few cases of kidnap victims coming back alive, but they have refused to speak about how they were treated. Because of this, we have little to no information about what happens. We can only speculate."

Mae rubbed her arms. "Well, that's disconcerting."

I nodded. "Agreed." I nodded towards the window. "Well, whoever these raiders are, they won't be here for long. It's nearly dark. Once the sunsets..."

Tano jumped up. "I have an idea!"

"This shall be good..." Inugami crossed her arms. "So? Out with it."

Tano leaned forward, like he was going to tell us a secret. "Let's go down and watch."

We all stared at him in silence.

"Are you crazy?!" Inugami shouted, her fists by her sides. "I really should punch you for even thinking about that!"

Ito nodded. "Nobody's going anywhere."

Tano shook his head. "Oh come on. You know we'll eventually be part of a raid. This is our chance to actually see one before then."

"Uh, Tano? What about Shay? It's a level 5. We can't risk her." Remi stood next to me, staring at Tano with more intensity than I had ever seen in her.

I looked out the window as the sun started to go down. "Let's go."

Everyone looked at me. "What?!"

I heard distant explosions and shouts. "I said, let's go. I'm not going to sit around here when this village, my village, OUR village is getting attacked."

"You're going to be Nighkage one day! We can't risk you!" Inugami shouted.

"Exactly. I will be Nighkage one day. Do you really think I should be sitting around doing nothing while this happens?"

Dokuro stood up and came to stand in front of me. I braced myself for a lecture from him.

"You're right."

I frowned. "What?"

"I said, you're right. We shouldn't be standing around here. We have all been training hard, you and Ito have been trained more than anyone here, and with Zakaza sensei. We're not useless. Plus, there's people down there that might need our help or children we need to save. This is our chance to prove ourselves."

I studied Dokuro, but he was being serious.

"I second that!" Naru lifted a hand and high-fived Tano.

I nodded at Dokuro. "So that's four-"

"Nobody's going anywhere." We looked at Ito. "Lady Isobe put me in charge, and I'm not going to wreck her trust."

"Ito..."

"No. We're staying put."

I looked from him to Mae. She still hadn't decided.

She shifted her feet. "Oh. Why is it always me who decides? Agh!" She threw her hands up. "Fine! But if I get captured, I'm blaming it all on you guys!"

I looked at Remi. "You're grandmother is sick. I'm sure you're worried about her."

Remi crossed her arms and looked down, thinking. "I do want to check on her..."

"Remi! No! Nobody is leaving!" Ito went and stood in the way.

I looked at Inugami. "It's your call. If you want to stay, you have to restrain him."

Inugami's eye twitched. "I hate you guys..."

I looked at Ito. "It's unanimous. Are you coming? Or not?"

He stood straight with his arms out. "Nobody. Is. Leaving."

I sighed and looked slowly at Inugami. She growled. "Dammit, Ito! Just stand aside! I don't want to have to hit you!"

Ito lifted his chin slightly. Inugami looked at me. I studied Ito for a moment. He wasn't going to move. I just nodded.

Inugami didn't hesitate. She rushed him and knocked him to the ground, pinning his arms. "Don't struggle. You know I'm stronger than you."

We all stepped past Ito, apologizing as we went.

"Alright. We'll figure out a plan in the tunnel. Dokuro, you first. I'll meet you all in there."

Everyone nodded, and Dokuro leapt across, followed by everyone except Inugami.

I looked down at Ito. "I'm going, whether you like it or not. You can come, or you can stay. Choose." I nodded and Inugami got up.

Ito slowly got to his feet. "I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter. I am meant to be your bodyguard after all."

I grinned and leaned slightly to Inugami. "Definitely marrying this guy when we're older."

Inugami rolled her eyes. "Let's survive tonight before we go making plans." She turned and leapt across to the tunnels.

I looked at Ito as he struggled internally with his decision. "Ito?"

He looked up.

"We'll be fine. We'll make a name for ourselves, save people, help people. We can't sit around forever." I hesitated before turning and leaping into the tunnels. Ito followed after a few seconds and we all walked towards the exit, talking quietly as we went.

"We all want to do different things, plus it'll be safer if we're in smaller groups. Remi, you go check on your grandmother. Naru, you go with her." Naru saluted and Remi nodded, determination etched on her face.

"Mae, you and Inugami go check on Iori's classroom." They nodded.

"Dokuro, Tano. You two go up to the Perch and check on the Beast Master and the animals."

"Aww-"

"Tano! Yes, understood. What will you two do?"

We got to the bush at the end of the tunnel and stopped, the sounds of the raid louder now.

"Ito and I will look for Zakaza. Get orders from him. Besides, if we find him first, you guys won't be caught by him. Right, when everyone finishes checking on who and what needs to be checked, get back up to the classroom. I want to see everyone back here before sunrise."

Everyone nodded and Dokuro pulled the bush away, checking for signs of anyone.

He waved Remi and Naru through first, then Inugami and Mae. Tano slipped through, waiting for Dokuro. Dokuro hesitated, then just nodded and followed Tano out.

"Are you sure about this?"

I breathed out and pulled the bush away. "Yea. Unknown to those guys, we haven't had a level 5 for years. Part of me becoming Nighkage is my father teaching me all about raids, since they happen more often than not." I stepped out, Ito following.

"I know." He whispered as we looked around and jumped down into the trees. "My uncle wants me to be aware of them as well, ever since my mother..."

I nodded. One night, about five years ago, we had a level 5. We hadn't been as prepared and a handful of people had been taken. Ito's mother had been one along with his teenage sister. The raiders had come at a time when we all slept, somehow snuck into the village and quietly crept from house to house, taking people. My father had been furious and mounted a search party within 48 hours. When they returned 24 hours later, Ito's mother had been killed and there had been no sign of his sister or the leader of the raiders. Everyone else who had been taken were cremated and the raiders bodies feed to the wolves. Ito still held onto the hope his sister was alive somewhere.

We slowed as we came closer to the sound of shouting. I looked at Ito. "That sounds like..."

He nodded. "Yea, I think so too."

We leapt into the trees and followed the shouting. We stopped high up in a tree and looked down.

Zakaza was surrounded by four men and he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the tree and bleeding heavily from his left shoulder. I tapped Ito's shoulder and nodded to one of the men holding a long chain with spikes. I looked around and saw that actually three of them had chains. Ito nodded, then pointed as the sun left the sky making the clouds turn a dull pink.

"I suggest you stay down, boy."

One of the men, one who wasn't holding a chain. Zakaza grunted and tried to get up. The man sighed and pressed a boot to Zakaza's shoulder.

"Ah!" Zakaza then started to laugh. "I'm going to kill you."

"I doubt that, boy. We're here for one reason, and we're going to do our job. Don't make me kill you prematurely." He shoved Zakaza back against the tree, roughly.

I checked the sky. Two more minutes and it'll be dark. Two more minutes and we'll have an advantage. Hang in there, Zakaza.

Ito shifted beside me and I saw make the sign for 'form'. A katana made of darkness, appeared on his back. I followed his lead and 'formed' two kunai in my hands.

I looked at the sky again. 5...4...3...2...

Ito and I looked at each other just as got dark. He nodded and leapt one branch lower.

"Mayonakagan." My eyes went from my normal clear silver colour, to black with silver streaks. I pressed my fingers together and stretched out slightly, making a bubble. I looked at Ito. He was in the bubble too. Good.

I grasped the two kunai and waited. The men looked around.

"Hey. It's starting to get dark. Shouldn't we leave?"

"The air feels really heavy..."

I leapt down, aiming a kick of the man closest to me. Ito followed suit with the man closest to him. I slit the mans throat and Ito stabbed his guy in the chest. We spun and Ito took down the other guy with the chain, while I pushed the darkness against the guy giving orders, and pinned him too the tree. I got rid of my kunai and used both hands to wrap the darkness around him. It seemed he was afraid being tied up.

"Hey-" I cut the man off by twisting my hand and gagging him with darkness.

"Zakaza! Are you alright?!" Ito dropped next to him and checked his wound.

"You two shouldn't be here!"

I glanced at him. "You're welcome, sensei."

He growled at me, but groaned when Ito tied a piece of cloth to his wound. "He needs to get to the hospital. I smell poison."

I gritted my teeth, thinking. I couldn't help Ito take Zakaza to the hospital, and I couldn't let this guy go either.

"Hey!"

I blinked and craned my neck up. A dark figure leapt down from the branch above us, and landed next to Zakaza.

"Yuhara! Hey, can you take Zakaza to the hospital? Poison."

Yuhara nodded. "Yea, but listen. You need to get out of here. Shay? Why-" He widened his eyes. "Your father is going to want him."

I narrowed my eyes and tightened my grip on the shadows.

Yuhara helped Zakaza up and put an arm around his shoulder. "I'll take Zakaza to the hospital and send someone back for you. Do not let him go." Yuhara disappeared and Ito came to stand beside me, facing away from me.

I was breathing hard from the effort and concentration. I even felt a bead of sweat roll down my cheek. The man I had pinned to the tree stared at me, as though I were a ghost. Or, more accurately, a monster.

Ito held his sword with both hands, turning his head every time he heard a noise.

We suddenly heard laughing. Ito tensed up and readied himself. I tightened my grip again, as I heard shouts.

"Two. There's only two." I heard Ito whisper. Good. He could take two, if he was smart. He disappeared as one man came through the clearing.

"Oh, hello. What do we have here? How did you get yourself strung up by a little girl, boss?"

The man I pinned to the tree tried to struggle.

"It's alright. I'll get you down. But I want her though." The man called boss narrowed his eyes at me and nodded. He was still gagged.

The man behind me laughed and I heard the scrape of metal as he pulled out a small sword.

Then I heard a squelching noise and a thud. I didn't dare turn around, as I was now struggling to keep the boss pinned.

"One left." Ito left again.

I heard a 'gahh!', then a few seconds later, Ito was standing next to me again.

"You...You killed three people..."

Ito stepped closer. "You killed one. Besides, they hurt Zakaza..." He was quiet for a second. "I also heard what they said they were going to do to you." I felt him tense up. "Nobody is going to touch you."

"T-thanks. Let's just hope someone comes soon."


	3. Chapter 3

We waited for what seemed like forever, but eventually Yuhara returned with my father and Ito's father, Izuda, in tow. Izuda was a tall man, who looked almost exactly like Ito, except older.

Izuda glanced at Ito as Yuhara rushed over to tie a rope around the man I had pinned to the tree. Once that was done, I released my hold on him and fell back. My father caught me and helped me stand, while I heard Izuda speak.

"You were told to stay in the classroom."

I looked up at Ito, my Mayonakagan disappearing, and waited for his response. He looked at me and spoke. "We decided as a group it would be beneficial to at least observe. It won't be long before we're included in defending everything from the raiders, and we couldn't just sit around doing nothing."

He stood back, feet apart and hands behind his back. "Sir."

I shook my head, clearing it, and went to stand beside him. "I don't regret it either." I nodded towards the tied up man. "Didn't want him to win."

My father smirked, and I knew instantly he forgave us. He would still punish me somehow for disobeying orders, but I knew he was just glad that we were alright.

Izuda, my father's second, studied us for a moment before sighing. "Don't think this gets you off the hook. Nighkage." He turned to my father. "What do you want us to do?"

My father stood up straight and peered down at the raid leader. The leader visibly shrunk back against the tree as Yuhara stood guard next to him.

"Izuda. Take Yuhara and lock this man up. I shall deal with him personally."

The tone he had used, made my bones reverberate. He was an intimidating man when he wanted to be.

Izuda instantly had Yuhara pull the man up and lead the way to the lower depths of the cave, where I was not yet allowed to go.

My father turned to us and gestured towards the village. "Not to worry. We got them all. We're going to be setting up perimeter searches and sentries to do four hour watches each." He looked around and nodded to the bodies on the ground nearby. "You did this?"

Ito nodded once. "Yes sir. They were threatening Shay. I wasn't going to let them take her."

"Hmph. And you held the leader until Yuhara returned?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

He didn't smile, but his eyes lightened. "Head back to the classroom. Make sure you do a head count and then rest. We will be cleaning up this mess in a few hours." He grumbled the last part.

Ito and I bowed slightly. "Yes, sir." Then jumped into the trees heading towards the classroom.

We barely spoke, except to make the odd comment about the mess we saw on the way back. We also didn't want to even think about who could have been taken this time.

We were overly cautious when we got back to the classroom opening, triple checking before we jumped across to the tunnel.

We got back to the classroom and headed inside. It was dark and quiet, but we saw everyone else had already got back.

I breathed a sigh of relief as everyone started whispering at once at us.

"Are you alright?"

"Did you see anything?"

"It took you long enough!"

"Always the last ones!"

I was nearly bowled over by Mae's hug. "Don't scare us like that!"

I pushed her off gently and looked around. I noticed that Mae had a small cut on her cheek, but it didn't seem deep enough to scar. Remi seemed relatively unharmed, but had a slight limp. Tano and Dokuro seemed completely unharmed, though Tano was unusually quiet. Naru and Inugami were both nursing cuts and scrapes.

"You guys got caught up in fights too?" I whispered as I sat down on the floor.

Everyone nodded and told how most of them had not been directly involved. Remi and Naru had to fight off a man trying to kill Remi's grandmother. In the end, her grandmother had gotten up to see what the noise was and, even in her weakened state, managed to kill the man before he had killed Naru after the man threw Naru through a wall.

"That explains your injuries." I said to him. He grinned, holding up his bloody arm and winced.

"I'm not too proud to profusely thank Rimi. I'd be dead if she didn't come out. She's badass, even for a sick woman!"

Remi nodded, her face still grim. "My grandmother has always been strong, but she should be resting." She glanced at the rest of us and looked out the window. "She decided to go out and fight even though she's so sick. She told me she'd rather die fighting than laying down."

We were all silent for a moment. We understood, even Remi, even though she hated the idea of losing her grandmother. Remi's mother died giving birth to her and her twin, Rami. Remi's father had been killed while his back was turned a few years later, hiding Remi and Rami in a cupboard. Rami had been taken that same night. His bruised and broken body found the next night. Remi had narrowly escaped the same fate. After that, Rimi had raised Remi, not keeping anything from her. Remi had decided to become a shinobi to protect people.

Naru had a much simpler upbringing. Two parents, fairly comfortable life, but wanted to be more than a shopkeeper, so started training harder. Despite different childhoods, Naru and Remi respected each other and fought well together.

Remi shook her head and sat down again. She realized we were all looking at her and she shifted slightly, her head down. "Uh, um, what about you Mae?"

Mae touched her face with her fingertips and looked at Inugami. Inugami's mouth tugged slightly. "There were three men there when we arrived, but one left when they realized that Iori was the only adult. We came in through the back storage room, and snuck around the side. Iori spotted us and waved us away once the men turned around. We hid around the corner before the men spotted us, but we didn't leave straight away. We overheard one of the men saying they were going to take Iori, but the other man said that they're better off taking a couple of kids." Inugami made a disgusted face and Mae huffed angrily. "They told Iori she was going to be used however they wanted, but she was probably too old to have as many kids."

Dokuro frowned. "Iori is only twenty five. Why would they want kids then?"

Mae shrugged. "They didn't get a chance to get that far." Mae smirked and narrowed her eyes. Inugami rolled her eyes and swiped at Mae. "Ouch!"

"You nearly got us killed!"

Mae shrugged again, rubbing her arm. "But we're fine. Iori is safe, and none of the kids were taken."

Inugami sighed. "True, but still. You could have been more subtle."

Mae grinned and tapped her cheek. "I got this while we were running away. I turned around and saw one of the men hurl a kunai at me. Got me, but I also saw Iori take him down. It was brilliant!"

Inugami swiped Mae's arm again.

Mae and Inugami were cousins through marriage, but their childhoods were as different as Naru's and Remi's.

Inugami had three older brothers, so she grew up fighting and training with them. Their mother had been adventurous, and left our village because she wanted to see the world. She had wanted to take Inugami, thinking it would be safer for her than in the village. She never returned. Inugami's father was one of our Commanders. He retired from the military, only because my father offered him a job as Lead Commander. Inugami's brothers were all in the military, and so she was expected to be as well.

Mae on the other hand; both her parents were the interrogators. She had an older sister who was currently training under them, and Mae was planning on doing the same thing, but she wanted to be in the field.

Mae may seem all sweet and innocent, I thought to myself as I watched her grinning at her bloodied hand, but she has a sadistic side that you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of.

I nodded to Dokuro. "What about you guys? Tano hasn't said a word since we got back."

Dokuro shifted in his seat and looked over at Tano, who was sitting by himself, only half listening to everyone. "When we got there, it was normal. We checked on Beast Master Takara. He was fine, he didn't even hear the bats."

I nodded. The Beast Master had started to go a bit deaf, so he was training a couple of twenty something year old's who had excelled in Animalia studies.

"What about the students? Weren't they there as well?"

Dokuro glanced at Tano again. "Yea. A couple of them were starting to come in behind us, while the other half were in the village directing the other animals. But..." He hesitated.

Tano stood up suddenly. "But some of the raiders had seen where the entrance was and followed us." His voice was hollow as he came a little closer and sat with his head down. "There was a group of eight."

"Eight against six..." Dokuro muttered. "Not the best odds..."

Tano let out a breath and continued. "They killed the students."

I sucked in a breath.

Tano smirked and shook his head. "They didn't just kill them. They ripped them apart. Beast Master managed to get Dokuro out of sight, but they spotted me before I could hide."

Dokuro held up a hand and Tano looked visibly relieved that he didn't have to continue speaking. "Beast Master was retrained and so was Tano. I think one of the students was still alive, but he wasn't for long."

Tano shuddered and brought his knees up.

"I...I heard them start to talk about torturing Beast Master for his secrets, but he kept shouting at them. Then, they starting talking about taking Tano away. They said something about replenishing their ranks or something."

"They wanted to raise me to fight for them." Tano clarified bluntly.

"Brainwashing..." Mae muttered, tapping her chin.

"Yes. I managed to sneak out of the trapdoor and free Beast Master. He distracted the men and set the animals on them while I untied Tano. He managed to kill one as we snuck away, but..."

They were both silent for a moment.

"You're not serious?" Naru whispered. "That...That old man?" He shook his head. "No way...I don't believe you."

I shook my head as well. Beast Master Takara was one of the oldest in our village. He teased us saying that we wouldn't be able to count as high as his age when we asked. There's no way...

"The bats and owls that were there, saw what the man did to Beast Master and tore the man apart." Tano said in that hollow voice.

"Good." Ito whispered. "Beast Master deserved that revenge. I hope the man who killed him felt everything the animals did to him."

"I don't doubt he did." Dokuro muttered.

Dokuro wasn't used to conflict, yet he seemed to manage it well. His parents had both been killed in the level five raid, years ago and his older sister, Dakara, had raised him since. She was very smart and worked in the offices doing paperwork for everything. She had even fixed up the system of how we ran things just after the level five. She wanted to make sure everyone was accounted for properly. Dokuro looked up to her and loved her, and wanted to take what she was teaching him into the field. He wanted to be the one behind the scenes, directing and instigating, making sure everything goes well.

Tano's family were interesting. There weren't many of them and the only one actually born inside the village was Tano himself. As far as I was told, Tano's parents, older sister and brother came to our village after theirs had been burned to the ground by bandits. They didn't know if there were any survivors, but there was nothing to go back too. My grandfather had been in charge back then and had taken them in. Tano's family had proven themselves useful as well as determined to pay back the villages hospitality by throwing themselves into our customs. His brother and sister, being so much older than him, had become a teacher and a scout. Sometimes they would switch roles. His parents had gone out of their way to create an area behind the village out of sight, into a graveyard. They would tell us over and over again, patiently, that it was to remember and honor the people who died. We had never had such a place before they came along.

"What about you two?"

Ito glanced at me. "I'm not going to get into the details, but we found Zakaza. He was surrounded so we had to wait until the sun went down. Shay trapped the leader in her Mayonakagan and Yuhara arrived soon after. We were lucky enough to not be hurt."

I glanced at Ito. I knew why he didn't want to tell the others about the people we had killed. Both of us had felt nothing, as that's how our training went with Ito's father. He had been teaching us to separate our feelings from raids and whatever happens in them. We both had been training our emotions for about four years now, since I got my Mayonakagan, and Ito had been training even longer than that.

"So, what do we do now?" Inugami whispered.

"Father said to come back here and wait for the clean up to finish. He told us to wait for Old Lady Isobe."

"Who are you calling old?" We jumped as Lady Isobe appeared at the entrance way, limping slightly and leaning on her cane.

Ito stood up quickly and bowed. "I-I'm sorry."

"So you should be, Komori." She limped over to her cushion and sat down. "Now, I'm guessing you have questions."

They all started talking at once, while Ito and I remained silent. There wasn't anything we really needed to know.

Remi sat up straight and leaned forward, her green eyes wide and lowered her voice. "My grandmother? She went out to fight. Is she..." She trailed off, her eyes darkening as though she already knew the answer.

Lady Isobe kept her eyes on Remi and spoke bluntly. "Yes. She didn't make it. However, she was the one responsible for turning the raid in our favor. If she hadn't have arrived, I'd imagine we'd all still be out there. At least take comfort in that."

Remi raised her head, stony faced and nodded.

Dokuro cleared his throat before he spoke. "How long will the clean up take? I need to go help my sister with intakes and paperwork."

Lady Isobe watched Remi for a few more moments before looking to Dokuro. "Wait another twenty minutes, and I will let you all go to your families. Remi, I will see you after everyone leaves, then head to the graveyard. I made preparations for Rimi's burial. Unless, of course, you have other wishes?" She waited a few moments for Remi to reply, but Remi just stood up and went to the window silently. "Very well. I will speak to you about it after everyone leaves. As for the rest of you, go check on your families and help wherever it's needed."

Suddenly, a Sugar Glider flew in, dropped a note in Lady Isobe's lap and glided out again. She opened it and nodded. "You're all free to leave the classroom now. Make sure you are careful, and keep your eyes open for stragglers."

We all bowed and started to leave. I turned at the exit and looked at Remi standing at the window, staring out at the burning trees, feeling pity wash over me. I shouldn't have felt as sorry as I did for her. This was how we lived after all. This was what we had to endure throughout our lives. None of us were safe. We had to learn how to harden ourselves against any kind of sorrow or loss.

I turned into the tunnel system, leaving Remi's pitiful sight behind me.

\---------------

It took so long to clean up the raiders mess, that it was just past midday the next day before Remi could say goodbye to her grandmother. She had decided that she wanted to give her a fiery send off, inside of a burial.

She said that Rimi would have rathered being burnt up than stuck in the ground.

Almost the whole village turned up to watch the flames. Tano said that where his family was from, this kind of funeral was an honor.

I didn't know how to feel about this funeral thing. Sure, Tano was older than me, so funerals had been introduced before either of us were even born, but the way we ran the village, it seemed...Odd. Out of place.

After it was over, I watched Remi place a ring around a branch of a small sapling that would serve as a headstone for Rimi.

Watching her, I briefly wondered what it felt like to be the last living person in my family. Especially having family taken away in the most brutal way. I left Remi kneeling at Rimi's tree, shaking my head in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts.

\----------

The next few days were used to assess the damage and rebuild, while trying to set up for the only celebration we ever had.

The full moon always rose the same time every year. It would brighten up our village, but the moon also did something to our Chakra. I never understood it, but I don't think anyone really truly understood it. We would become stronger, able to control ourselves better. I had even noticed how much easier it was to use my Mayonakagan without too much consequence.

My birthday also happened to fall on this full moon, and so it was really a celebration of two things.

I walked through the village, watching as birds, bats and other animals helped hang streamers, balloons and lanterns in the hard to reach places. I watched Koalas climb the gum trees to hand villagers tools or pieces of wood. Birds, bats and sugar gliders flew around, passing messages or small packages to people waiting. Dingoes, foxes and Tassie devils were patrolling the perimeter of our village, while rabbits, bilbies and Tassie tigers were being used to scout the areas further around our village. A couple of tree kangaroos sat scratching themselves in the tree arch of our village, their companions holding feed bags each and talking excitedly about the festival. Echidnas and Platypuses worked together digging out a pond as the large kangaroos dug what was going to be a creek leading from the lake to the pond.

I squatted down and watched in fascination as the Echidnas and Platypuses worked. The echidnas using their long strong nails and snouts, and the platypuses using their back flippers and beaks. A platypus looked up from its work to study me as curiously as I was studying it. I grinned and reached forward to gently scratch its head. It moved its head slightly and started to purr.

I sighed and sat back. "I just wish that those people didn't come in and kill our friends days before the moon festival. It was really inconvenient and nasty."

The platypus chirped in agreement and went back to digging.

I stood up and wandered around some more. I wasn't allowed to help set up the festival, since it was partially for my birthday anyway, and because everyone was off helping, I was on my own. Not that I minded too much. I was able to take in the sounds, smells and sights of the place I loved so much. The sounds of people laughing and talking. Musical instruments being tested and practiced. The smells of the food being precooked and leaves in the trees.

My favourite place was the emu farm we had next to the lake. The hatchlings were raised up in the Perch until they are about 3 months old, then they get moved to the farm where they are trained and interact with the village. At that moment, there were only eight emus at the farm. After the raid, it was found out that someone had opened up the gate for the emus to escape, most of the emus weren't trained properly yet and had run away from the fighting and the noise.

I climbed up onto the fence and sat down. A couple of emus were sleeping and some were in the lake bathing.

I felt something nudge my arm and I looked to see a young emu searching for feed. It looked at me and made a soft drumming noise that come from its throat. "Aw, sorry. I don't any food on me. I'm glad your not afraid of us after what happened last night."

The emu fluffed up its feathers and stomped a couple of times while making the drumming noise. I laughed. "I believe that! You don't look afraid of anything!"

The emu shook its head and calmed down again.

I looked at the building built into the cave next to the lake. It had a balcony-like setup just above the entrance. It was high enough that if I climbed it, I'd be able to see the village and its preparations without getting in the way. I jumped up and started walking along the top of the fence, the emu following me.

When we got to the cave, I lead the way up to the balcony. The emu followed me the whole way. Once we were up there, I leaned on the stone barrier and took in everything.

To the left of me was a wooded area with a path down the middle that lead into the village. I could see the Perch high up on the same mountain where I was standing, the animals of flight coming in and out steadily. Homes and shops were built into the side of the mountain, as well as in and around high trees. Trees that were too far from each other had well maintained wooden bridges. The Arch at the far end of the village was visible from where I was standing. I couldn't see them, but the tree kangaroos would still be there and would be for another four or so hours until the shift change. I could see where the bigger kangaroos were digging the creek around the side of the wooded area towards were the pond was going to be. Smaller animals such as mice and possums, were finding small rocks and pebbles to use as the creek bed. The joeys were watching and trying to copy these actions as well.

The emus were all in a fenced clearing that connected to the lake off to the right. Just passed the lake was the thick forest that stretched out forever. I saw mountains, but they were so far away they only looked blue.

"I wonder what it's like out there. I mean, I know there's other villages and cities out there, but..." I tapped my chin, then leapt up onto the barrier. I stood on my tip toes, but I still couldn't see much more than I already did.

The emus low rumbling made me turn around, but I slipped. I caught the edge with one hand and grabbed onto the emus neck with the other. It pulled me up over the side.

I stood up and dusted myself off. I realized that I wasn't afraid, but I had shocked myself. I shrugged it off and looked towards the blue mountains again.

"I wonder if I'll ever get to see one of those villages one day. I don't really want to be here forever, you know?"

Little did I know, that wish was going to come sooner rather than later.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days went quickly, and our training was more intense since the raid.

We all collapsed on the ground exhausted. All of us except Remi. She had become more determined since Grandma Rimi's death in the raid.

"That'll do for today."

We all got up and stood straight for Zakaza. He had his arm in a sling, but that didn't stop him from drilling us and dishing out punishments.

"These last few days have been rough, especially after the raid." He paused for a moment. "You've all done well. Today you get to choose your companion, if you choose to want one."

We all started talking excitedly amongst ourselves. Zakaza let us be excited for a moment before putting his good hand up.

"Since Beast Master Takara's death, and the deaths of his students, we've had problems organizing the Perch. We have someone standing in temporarily. Yuhara will do those duties until we find a qualified Beast Master. Since Yuhara is not a Beast Master, only look for a companion up there that you are familiar with. Otherwise, head out to the Lake, the Farm or the Bushland. The Beast Masters there will help you choose who and what you will be compatible with." He waved his hand and left.

I looked around the Arena as everyone started to excitedly again.

"Oh, it's about time!"

"I thought it was gonna be forever before we got our companions!"

"What kind of animal are you gonna choose?"

I sighed at the question. It wasn't directed at me, but I had been thinking since I took that walk to the Farm. I loved bats, but I never really had a real connection with them and the way we lived, that was the difference between life and death.

"So. Are we going to go up to the Perch?"

I looked up towards the Perch, and shook my head at Ito. "No."

He blinked a couple of times. "No? But...You've always wanted a bat. You love them and are almost fluent with them. Why did you change your mind?"

I shrugged and watched as everyone started off in different directions. Remi started toward the Perch with determination. Since Grandma Rimi's death, Remi had stayed in the family home, refusing to leave it. My father had gotten guards and family friends to check on her at least once a day, and neighbours had been dropping off food for her as well as dropping by to teach her how to cook on her own.

Tano and Naru went directly to the Bushland, I assumed to find a Kangaroo companion.

Inugami and Dokuro went off in the direction of the Lake. There was so many different creatures in the Lake, that whatever those two decided on, I couldn't guess right now.

Mae came rushing up, her eyes flashing. "Wanna guess what type of companion I'm getting?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No. What's that, Mae?"

She hopped from foot to foot, hands on her cheeks. "Platypus!"

Ito and I looked at each other. "A platypus?" Ito said slowly.

"Yes! I bet you can't guess why!"

I rubbed my chin, thinking about everything I knew about the platypus, then thumped my fist in my other hand. "That's it!" I frowned and looked at Mae. "But, how...?"

Mae grinned and spun around. "Poison, yup! Those little buggers have a spore on their back feet that produces venom! If I had a platypus companion, could you imagine the possibilities?!" Cackling to herself, she spun and took off towards the Creek.

"That girl is definitely one to watch."

I nodded at Ito's comment. "Yea, but I'm glad she's on our side." I sighed. "So, what kind of companion are you thinking?"

He shrugged. "What kind do you think suits me?"

I turned to look at him and thought about what he was supposed to become. He was supposed to take over his father's job, the same way I was supposed to take over mine. His personality was serious, but he also had a soft side that he only really showed around me.

We were still kids, but with our lifespans being unknown because of how we lived, we were forced to grow up quickly, becoming adults earlier.

I tapped my chin, thinking. "You know, I would say a Tree Kangaroo, but then I also think something like a bat or maybe even one of those Devils."

Ito huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, you're not exactly helpful."

I shrugged. "Yea, I know. I'm going to go home and talk to my parents about it. See what they think about it."

He nodded. "You do know this is your decision. Nobody elses."

I sighed and nodded. "I know, but opinions would be nice. Anyway, I'll see you later. Just two more days until the festival!" I turned and trotted off, waving.

"And your birthday!" I heard him call out.

I just laughed and kept running until I got home.

Where I lived was inside the mountain, up high, just above the Perch. It was only my mother, my father and myself that lived in the mountain out of our family. Uncles, aunts and cousins lived elsewhere in the village, but nobody except the Komori's knew where we lived. The only indication was a hidden balcony the overlooked the village. The balcony was part of the operations room my grandfather had set up. The large stone table had a built in map of our village and the surroundings that stretched just beyond the Lake, but not too far past the thick forest. That map was the only thing that showed me what was past the Lake.

I slipped through the hidden entrance to our home and walked down the corridor to the kitchen, where my mother was cooking.

"Hi, Shay. Did Zakaza go easy on you today?"

I sat down on the bench beside her. My mother was a pretty woman with porcelain skin, long straight black hair and dark caramel coloured eyes. She was wearing a plain black kimono, with a couple of white stars and two white stripes across the middle. She was tall, but not quite as tall as my father.

I shook my head. "When does he ever go easy on me?" I rolled my shoulders, and my mother laughed.

"My, he must really want you to push yourself." She stirred the pot of stew that sat on the metal plate over the fire pit. "He wants you to be the best Nighkage, you know."

I frowned. "Why? It's not like he dislikes Father, right?"

My mother shook her head. "I don't suspect so, but I think he also wants to have a decent rival."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. He respects Father too much to even think about challenging him, but he's never really liked me..." I sighed again. "Where is Father anyway?"

"Down in the dungeon. He's still trying to get information out of that leader you captured. We were lucky this time. Only Rimi was killed, and nobody was taken."

I nodded. "I don't think Remi feels the same way."

"Perhaps not, but she's smart enough to continue with her training and get stronger for future raids."

We were quiet for a moment, the only sounds were from the fire and the winged animals flying around outside.

I shook my head to clear it. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well, Zakaza finally is letting us get our companions, and everyone seems to know what kind of animal to pick."

My mother nodded. "And you don't, right? I thought you wanted a bat?"

"Yea, but...I don't know." I shifted on the bench.

At that moment, my mothers companion, a sugar glider she had named Chess, because he like chestnuts, came through the window and landed on Mothers arm, handing her a small bag of herbs.

"Thankyou, Chess." Chess chittered a reply and crawled onto Mothers shoulders, as she kept speaking. "Perhaps you should speak to your father. You know how he is with animals."

I nodded. My father had a way with animals, and could have been the Beast Master if he hadn't already been in line to be the Nighkage.

"Alright. Do you know when he'll be back?"

Mother shook her head. "Shouldn't be too much longer. He said he was going to be back for dinner and leave the Lead Commander in charge."

"Should've left Zakaza in charge. He'd get what Father wants out of him."

Mother clicked her tongue. "And get vengeance on what he did?"

I nodded, grinning. "And what they were gonna do." I swung my legs and jumped down from the bench. "Zakaza heard some of what they had said and was told the rest later on. He wasn't happy."

Mother nodded. "Neither was I, when I heard. He's lucky your father got a hold of him first." The look in my mothers eye told me that was the truth. My mother looked fragile, but she was far from it. She smiled and waved her hands at me.

"Go bathe. This stew is nearly ready."

I went towards the bathroom and turned at the door and watched as my mother wrote a note and gave it to Chess.

About an hour later, I had finished in the bathroom and was reading the textbook Lady Isobe had given me while we waited for my father to get home.

I was reading up on different flight patterns, when my father walked down the stone corridor, the clopping sound of his wooden sandals echoing towards us.

My mother got up to check on the stew as my father appeared. I looked up and waved.

"Evening, Shay." He grinned.

My father had waist length black/blue hair that he always had tied up in a bun with a small ponytail. His eyes were a greyish blue colour, that could show his emotions easily if he wanted them to. They would grow darker if he in deep thought or mad. His skin was a few shades darker than my mothers, as he insisted on going outside more. He was good-looking man, especially when he was wearing his Nighkage outfit like he was now. It was black with a few embroided stars, with our family symbol, a star inside a circle with a skull face looking out, embroided on left breast pocket and a larger one on the back.

I pressed my lips tight together as my mother cleared her throat. My father winked at me and went to her as I couldn't stop from grinning. My father always teased my mother like this, but somehow always knew where the line was.

I got up and put my book back in my room, staying in there for a little while to give my parents some time. Sometimes Father would ask Mothers advice on things that they felt I shouldn't know about. That didn't stop me from eavesdropping though.

I slid the heavy curtain across my doorway and went to sit at my stone desk that was cut into the wall. I also had a stone bed, covered in sheets and blankets that Mother and a few other family members had made for me. Clothes, bed linens and almost anything fabric related for me, had our family symbol on it somewhere. One small blanket I had been given when I was born, was covered in the family symbol.

All my clothes were in a wooden chest at the end of my bed. I didn't have many, nor did I have any toys. It just wasn't like that here. Children from the age of one year old, were trained in animal sounds and behaviors, as well as basic self defense by age two. The real training started at age three, as Level 5 raiders would usually target weaker people.

I opened a notebook and started to write my thoughts down.

_I'm almost seven. Yes, seven. I'm getting older. I'm one of the lucky ones. Raids happen fairly often, and young children are always targeted. I'm lucky that I haven't been taken yet._

I tapped my pencil on the paper a couple of times as a thought came to me.

_I wonder if other villages have the same problems we do? I wonder if children have to defend themselves the way we have too? I wonder..._

I sighed as the pencil snapped from me writing so intensely.

"Shay? Dinner."

I looked up and closed my notebook, keeping the last thought to myself.

I went out and we all sat down to eat. After a few moments, I asked Father the same thing I had asked Mother earlier.

Father tapped his chin. "Hm, well you do seem to know the bats really well, and bats are good for communication and small errands, as well as scouts and lookouts." He frowned and his eyes darkened in curious thought.

"I did have an emu follow me around at the Farm the other day. He wouldn't leave my side, even when I went up on the balcony."

Father shifted his eyes towards me. "Really? A young one?"

I nodded while I swallowed a spoonful of food.

"Interesting. Normally, the young ones don't take to people so quickly."

"He said that he wasn't afraid."

Father raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Even the adults at the Farm were afraid because of the explosions."

I nodded. "This one seemed the most relaxed around people." I shrugged. "I didn't see Beast Master Ryo, so I couldn't ask."

Father nodded and turned back to eating, still thinking. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Maybe it is a good thing you're not jumping into choosing a companion. A bond with your companion is extremely important and choosing the wrong one could prove fatal."

I nodded. "I know, Father. That's why I'm not jumping the bats right now. What kind of animal do you think would suit me?" I mirrored Ito's earlier question to me. Ito might have thought these same things if he asked this question.

Father finished his food and sat with his back straight, but his shoulders relaxed, his eyes fixed on the wall behind my head. Mother watched us both with amused eyes and sat back against the back of her seat, back straight like Fathers.

"Perhaps,' Father started, slowly,' you should wait until you become a Genin."

I blinked. "What? But-"

Father grinned and held up his hand. "It'll give you plenty of time to figure it out before you really need a companion. Use that time to interact with the different animals and see how you feel then."

I slumped back in my seat, but thought about it. I couldn't rush into something like this, but it needed to be sorted before I became a Genin and started doing patrols and scouting missions.

I sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll start tomorrow."

Father grinned again. "Good. Don't worry about your friends, and what they're going to be doing. Yes, even Ito." Father cut in as I opened my mouth. "Ito has a job to do as well. You both have different jobs to do, and they're not always going to involve the both of you."

"Hmph." I crossed my arms and pouted, but I knew he was right. Ito was to become head of the family's bodyguards. That meant that he had to be trained in everything from fighting styles to observation. He had to learn how each person walked and talked; learn the signs of manipulation and secrecy. He had to learn every persons name and face in this village by heart, and then, once he was old enough to choose his own unit, he would have to train those people the same way.

I was to be Nighkage, which meant I had to learn a lot more. I didn't have to learn everyone's face or name. I didn't have to learn Observation. What I did have to learn was how to defend the entire village. I had to learn how to be a leader and command people, even if it was to their deaths. I would have to meet with all the Commanders everyday to work on defense plans for every scenario in case something happened that day. I would have to go over Dakara's paperwork, as well as Dokuro's, to make sure everything was right. I would have to do routine checks on all the animal sites, and go through the Beast Master's paperwork. I was going to have to become the only person anyone could wholly trust when things went wrong. I would know secrets nobody else would know. I would have to learn to turn myself into a shield as well as a spear.

Being Nighkage was a dangerous job, which was why it only been passed down in our family. In a way, our family were sacrifices.

"So, are you going for a walk later?"

I shook my head, but then thought better of it. "I might go to the Farm again. See if the emu is still there."

Father nodded, then looked at Mother. She got up and started to clean up. She was always like that. Was always happy to do menial things. Kept things normal, she would always say.

"I want you back at a reasonable time this time, Shay." She said as she washed the dishes.

"Reasonable hour?" Father and I looked at each other, grinning. There was no such thing here. We all had to learn to live off very little sleep. Just another way the constant raids had effected our lives.

"Alright, I won't be too long." I got up and went to leave, when Mother called.

"And remember, if you see or hear something unusual-"

"-make sure I make it past the Arch Bats. Yes, I know." I waved and walked out towards the direction of the farm.

\----------------

It was already dark when I got to the Farm. The emus were all out wandering around, some fluffing up their feathers and chasing others around.

"Must be getting ready for mating season."

I jumped as Zakaza come up behind me. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't take his eyes off the emus. "Patrols, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Your turn to patrol inside."

"Yes. So, why are you here?"

I shrugged and kicked some loose dirt. I didn't want to have to tell him that I didn't know what companion I wanted.

"Well, whatever the reason, you may as well help me finish this patrol." He turned to look at me, and gave a small smile.

I blinked. "But I'm not allowed to do official patrols yet."

This time, Zakaza grinned. "You're not. You just happen to be in the same place as your sensei. That's allowed."

I shook my head Zakaza, shocked. He never breaks the rules!

"Come on, Shay. You have to learn quicker than most kids anyway. Even Ito." He started walking the boundary of the Farm, but not before I saw a small smile on his face.

I shook my head again and followed. "I just realized I never seen you smile before."

"Nonsense." He said, waving his finger at me. "I smile all the time."

I stared at him for a moment, then we both started laughing. Wiping my eyes, I looked at him as we passed the cave. "Why aren't you like this all the time?"

He didn't reply right away. He stopped and looked around, before leaping onto a shelf on the mountain, near the cave. I stayed where I was as he disappeared, knowing it was part of the patrol.

When he came back down, we kept going. Finally, he responded. "I have to be hard on you all. It's not all fun and games here. It rarely is. I'm this hard on you all because you need to survive. You can't survive unless you train hard and grow up quickly. That's the curse of living in this land. In this village."

I stared at him as we stopped at the edge of the Lake. "And that's why you're telling me this, and not everyone else?"

He smiled at that. "I'm telling you this because you are my student regardless who else I choose."

"Why did you want me? Because I'm going to be Nighkage?"

Zakaza didn't move. "That's partially the reason, but if you're going to be Nighkage, you need to be stronger. Nobody else, aside from Izuda, is strong enough to train you."

I nodded. "And Izuda is too busy playing bodyguard to train me properly. Right. Does that mean Izuda trained you?"

He nodded. "Izuda trained a small group, like I'm training all of you now. He was a kind man, but that lead to death."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Izuda thought we were all ready to take part in patrols and security watches, as well as scouting missions." He went quiet for a moment. "His kindness got in the way of how he should have been training us. In the end, I was the only survivor."

I blinked and tried to think back. I didn't remember this, or anyone telling me about it. "How old were you?"

"Not much older than Ito is now. What happened then made me want to do better and train harder."

I nodded. "Does Ito know?"

Zakaza shrugged. "It's not a secret, but it's not my place to tell Ito. That's Izuda's job. He needs to prepare Ito for the worst case scenario's. That's including what happens if he doesn't train his chosen properly."

"Oh." I looked down, then out at the Lake. "Zakaza?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you hate me so much?"

I saw Zakaza frown. "Hate you?" He closed his eyes and shook his head. Then I felt something hit the top of my head.

"Ow!" I put my hands on my head, feeling his fist there.

"I don't hate you, idiot. I just have to be harder on you."

I put my hands down and pouted. "Well, you could at least act like you don't hate me."

Zakaza rolled his eyes, but I caught his smile.

I looked across the Lake and sighed. "Do you ever wonder what's out there? I mean, past the forest and over that mountain?"

Zakaza shook his head. "I haven't gone that fair and I haven't had the chance to think about it."

"I wonder if other villages out there have to deal with what we deal with..."

I shook my head as Zakaza looked at me strangely.

"Hmm. I don't know. But I bet that the girls there aren't as annoying."

I glared at him as he grinned. I aimed a punch to his stomach, but he stepped sideways and caught my head before I fell.

"No, I doubt there'd be anyone as clumsy."

"Shut up!" I tried to punch him again but he moved.

"See?"

I stood up and saw him grinning. I couldn't keep my pout and started to laugh. "I'm not as clumsy as Tano, at least."

Zakaza shrugged. "He's getting better." He looked up at the sky. "You better get home. Tomorrow you need to rest. Two days from now, you won't get a moments piece."

I sighed. "Yea, I know. Alright."

I started back, waving as I went. "Oh, by the way Zakaza..."

"Hmm?"

"You're a good teacher!" I grinned and waved again. "But I'll deny ever saying that!"

I heard him laughing as I ran all the way home.

\-----

The next day, I was able to have a sleep in. I was also allowed to sleep as much as I wanted. I didn't have to do anything. No schoolwork, no training, no Nighkage related secret telling.

I lay in bed and thought about what Father was doing today. He would be down in the dungeon by now, finishing up any interrogations. That raid leader would be dead by sundown.

When I had got home the night before, Father said he would let Zakaza in to see the leader before his execution. I grinned at the thought, knowing Zakaza wouldn't go easy on the guy, even if he did get his arm out that sling today.

I sighed and sat up. I wasn't going to sleep today. I wouldn't be able too. I got dressed and made my way out into the kitchen. Mother wasn't home, but she left food out for me. I knew how to cook, since she had taught me, but on the days leading up to my birthday, she would always cook for me.

I smiled at the simple vegetable soup and grainy bread that she had left out, and ate it before heading up to the Perch.

Yuhara was absently counting the courier bats when I approached the Hole. The Hole was basically a balcony, but instead of a lookout area, it was just a large hole in the wall.

I sighed. "Don't tell me you've lost some couriers."

Yuhara jumped and scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, n-no. Of course not. I just thought there were a couple more..."

I shook my head, grinning and went up to the bats which were hanging on some roots that had broken through. I quickly counted and turned to him. "You're not missing any that shouldn't be on an errand. Relax. Being the Beast Master for the Perch isn't that hard."

"Not hard, huh? Then maybe you should take over."

I grinned. "If you want."

Yuhara sweat-dropped and waved his hands. "N-no. I can handle it."

He went back to checking the bats for messages while I watched him. Yuhara was about 27, sandy brown hair and light brown eyes. He had seen a lot, but he always managed to take a joke. He hadn't been in the middle of too many raids; he was part of the clean up unit. He was clumsy and a bit of a simpleton, but he was a good man.

"Have you the paperwork yet?"

Yuhara jumped and hesitated before answering. "Paperwork...Uhh...I was supposed to do that?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his wrist, dragging him into the stone nook the Beast Master used as an office. The papers were in neat stacks on the stone bench, but it was clean they hadn't been touched since Beast Master Takara. I sighed and walked over to look. "You're lucky. All you have to do is skim over the papers and sign them." I shook my head and looked at him. "If you left it any longer, you'd have to go through and fill out forms and check boxes, as well as sign. You really are an airhead, you know that?"

Yuhara lifted his hands and grinned. "Hey, nobody told me the job description!"

"That is the job description!" I picked up an ink-well and threw it at him. He caught it and came over.

"Ugh! That's a lot of paperwork. How do the Beast Masters do it?"

I sat on the ledge of a gap looking out to village below. "They don't let it pile up."

Yuhara dropped into a wooden chair and grunted. "Ha ha. You're so funny."

I nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am. I'm gonna stay here until you've done it." I started swinging my legs.

He growled. "Who's the adult here?"

I shrugged and leaned back, listening to the owls returning from patrols.

Yuhara finally finished the paperwork towards the end of the day. Since he had to catch up, there were also people coming in and out to drop off more papers for him to read and sign.

"Ugh, maybe I should have done all this yesterday." He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his neck.

"You think? Ever a 7 year old knows that. At least you won't have to do so much tomorrow." I stretched and jumped down. "I better go home."

He frowned. "You're not 7 until tomorrow night. Aren't you going to see your friends?"

I shook my head. "I think they're doing some kind of display with the animals this year. I don't know, but I think they're practicing."

"Well, what are you going to do then?"

"Probably go home and sleep some more. I won't get another chance for a while."

Yuhara nodded and just waved me away. He looked tired, but he wouldn't be able to sleep for another six hours.

I went home quickly and looked around. Father wasn't home; I didn't expect him to be this early. It had only just started to get dark. Mother wasn't home, which was unusual.

Chess was sitting on his perch, next to the window. I went up and scratched his ears. "Maybe Mother went to see her friends, huh? Or maybe she's helping out with preparations."

Chess chittered a neutral reply, then started to eat the fruit my mother left out for him.

I went to the kitchen and started the fire. While that caught on, I went to the cool room and took out a few vegetables, rice and a pot.

I cut up all the vegetables and put them on the hot plate to cook, then started on the rice. I cooked enough so when my parents would get home, there'd be enough for them as well.

Once it was finished, I put the fire out and ate would I could before I went to bed. I looked out the window. It was a warm night, so I didn't close the heavy curtains. The sky was mostly clear, but for a few thin clouds. The stars were only outshined by the three quarter moon. My hands and neck tingled with anticipation. Tomorrow night would be the full moon. During the full moon, everybody in the village would become a lot stronger. It happened once a year, and only for one night a year. None of us knew the reason for this weird experience. Oddly enough, Tano's family never were affected, but Tano himself was. His mother would always comment it was because he was born inside the village, but we didn't know for sure.

As for my family, we would become even stronger than the rest of the village. Father said it was because of the bloodline abilities. Our abilities would manifest during a full moon, so it only made sense the full moon would always make it stronger.

The Mayonakagan itself was unique. Not only could I see the fears, nightmares and traumas of people, but I could also control them. With the help of the powers that let me control darkness, I was able to manipulate these fears into solid beings. Others in my family had this ability as well, but they had to learn to control their emotions and their own fears. Some people in my family had been so traumatized by the Mayonakagan, they had chosen to never use it again. In extreme circumstances, some had even taken out their own eyes or, more extreme still, committed suicide by throwing themselves off the mountain or allowing the carnivores to eat them.

As a result, only the most recent generations had been able to control the Mayonakagan properly.

I stared out the window a little longer. I wasn't tired, but I knew I needed sleep. I sighed and rolled over to go to sleep.

I woke up looked out the window. It was still dark.

"-could you?!"

I blinked and sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"What did you do?!"

"Huh?" I heard my fathers voice. He sounded angry. I heard Mothers voice, but I couldn't hear what she said.

"...did...village...our daughter?!"

I frowned. What were they talking about? This time I did hear what Mother said.

"Shut up! You'll wake her!"

I heard Father mutter a reply, but I could tell he was still angry. I got up and snuck to the curtain the separated my bedroom to the rest of our home.

"I honestly don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything."

"What happens when people find out, huh?! I can't protect you."

"You assume I need to be protected."

"You need to cut-"

"What, Arai? Cut what? I said what I said. I'm finished playing house!"

"You wanted to be a part of this-"

I heard a sharp slap. I quickly covered my mouth. Did Mother just hit Father?

There was silence for a few moments before Mother spoke. "I'm going to bed."

I heard her sharp footsteps fade away to my parents room, then I heard a sigh. His footsteps went back the other direction, and I knew he was leaving again. I got back into bed and stared at the ceiling, now wide awake. Questions circled my head. What had they argued about? What did Father mean about not knowing what to say? What will people find out? Why can't he protect her?

I groaned and covered my face. "So much for going back to sleep..."


End file.
